Taken For Granted
by pokemonlovinggirl
Summary: Sometimes you just have to stop and think about the things you've taken for granted. NaruSaku ON STANDBY


**PLG: Yo peoplz! This is PLG here and this is my second NaruSaku fanfic!**

**Gaia: *comes in breathing heavily* Am I…late…for the…chapter? **

**PLG: No, you're just in time. Why are you panting?**

**Gaia: I had to bake 10 jars of cookies for Gaara, 12 trays of bibingka for Nicole, 10 trays of brownies for Jason, punish JB, again, make twenty bowls of ramen for Naruto, slap Jiraiya for going to the hot springs instead of practicing his lines, and many other tasks. I started at 9 am.**

**PLG: *looks at the wall clock* o_O WTH! It's 8:20 pm! I need to hire more people… "-_- Anyway, I'll start the story…**

"**Kyuubi" "**_**Inner Sakura" **_*****notes and explainations* ***someone from the background commenting* **_flashbacks or dreams_ 'thoughts'

**Chapter 1**

A thirteen year old rosette girl was waiting near the front gate in the late afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was a normal lazy afternoon, but not to Sakura. She was awaiting the return of Naruto, Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, and Kiba with Sasuke.

She saw several figures on the horizon, the figures approached slowly to the gate. Then she smiled the widest grin she ever smiled when she saw the group with an unconscious Uchiha.

Naruto was being helped to walk with his arm around Shikamaru's shoulder, Neji was dragging Sasuke and Kiba was helping Choji walk.

All of them were badly injured, especially Naruto. He had burns and cuts everywhere!

She ran straight to the unconscious Sasuke.

'I-I'm g-g-glad w-w-we g-g-g-got S-S-Sasuke b-b-back…" Naruto said softly before passing out.

Naruto woke up and recognized the room, it was a hospital room. He noticed he was wrapped up in bandages. He saw a note and read it, it said:

_Dear Naruto,_

_If you're reading this now that means you've been in a coma for 5 days now._

_If you want to check up on Sasuke then he's in the room right next to yours on the left._

_You can leave and go back to your apartment, but I won't put you on missions for awhile._

_From,_

_Tsunade_

He slowly went to Sasuke's room, when he opened the door quietly he didn't even say anything when he saw Sakura hugging a drowsy Sasuke.

He smiled sadly and felt his tears coming down on his face. He felt his minor genjutsu break, his eyes turned from a cheery cerulean to cold dull cerulean spheres full of pain and sorrow.

He turned and ran away as fast as he can but he managed to do it quietly. He was crying so much he often slipped because of his trail of tears.

He finally made it to his apartment and packed all his things in several sealing scrolls. He didn't have that much stuff so it was easy for him to carry them in his backpack.

He remembered his friends who are the most powerful mercenary groups in the world and remembered what his old friend said to him.

"_If you ever want to train with us to become a great ninja just whisper into this stone and we can communicate. You can only do this a few time then the stone will shatter. So make your decision after analyzing everything. Bye Naruto-kun!" a girl said while giving him a small shiny black stone and walked away out of his sight._

He got the stone and whispered to it "Nicole-chan, are you there?"

The stone started to glow and a girl's voice came out "Yup! So you decided to come train with us?"

"Yes, how long will the training take?" he asked.

"About two and a half years. If you want we can stay in the Leaf Village with you after your training!" Nicole offered, but there were sounds of killing from her end.

"Okay, can I speak with Macyl, Evey or Jason?" he asked.

Then he heard Nicole slice off several people's heads. "This isn't a really good time. We're supposed to kill a bandit base with about almost a thousand bandits. Meet us at the gate in about 3 hours!" she said with the sounds of several people getting crushed and heard a boy tween yell crazily "WOOHOO! SMASH AND SMASH AND SMASH!"

"I hear Jason being as crazy as ever. Bye!" Naruto said.

"Bye!" Nicole said and the stone stopped glowing.

'Time to talk to Grandma Tsunade…' he thought to himself and ran off to the Hokage Mansion.

Tsunade was almost done with her paperwork as Naruto burst through the door.

"Naruto, why are you here?" she asked.

"I'm just gonna tell you I'm leaving the village for about two and a half years training with some old friends. I don't want to be a missing ninja, right?" he said cheerfully with a foxy grin on his face, but his eyes said the complete opposite.

Tsunade was shocked to hear the news and to see his eyes full of pain and suffering.

He noticed Tsunade's expression and said "Oh, I forgot about that."

He replaced the genjutsu and his eyes turned back to fake cheery orbs of cerulean.

"Okay, but how long until you leave?" she asked with concern.

"Less than 3 hours," he answered her.

"I suggest you spend time as much as you can with your friends, Jiraiya and I will meet you at the gate and see your 'old friends'," she said and dismissed him.

He sent out shadow clones to deliver a message to meet him at the park in 30 minutes.

30 minutes later Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Iruka, Kiba, Neji, Hinata, Shino, TenTen and Lee were at the park wondering why Naruto wants them to be there.

Then Naruto appeared infront of them.

"Where's Sakura?" he asked.

"She's still with Sasuke I the hospital," Ino explained and then Naruto's minor genjutsu broke again.

Everyone saw his eyes and gasped.

Naruto immediately realized and put the genjutsu back on and said "Oops, uh sorry about that."

"S-so w-why did y-you call us h-h-here?" Hinata asked.

"I'm leaving in about 2 hours and I want to spend as much time as possible before I leave on my two and a half years training trip with some old friends," he explained.

The group was shocked to hear this, but after a few minutes they recomposed themselves.

They had fun in those last 1 hour and 50 minutes. Then he had to go to the gate to leave. The group followed him to the gate, where Jiraiya and Tsunade were waiting for him.

"Five minutes until I my friends arrive," Naruto said.

"Who are your other friends anyway?" Kakashi asked.

"Uh, they're the mercenary group called The Shadows. After my training they can live in the Leaf," Naruto explained.

Everyone's eyes widened in surprised.

"You mean you're friends with the one of the youngest and one of the most powerful mercenary groups in the world!" everyone exclaimed.

"Yup," he answered.

5 minutes later four figures were walking towards the gates, they were all strained with blood.

"Yes! It's them! Hey Nicole-chan, Evey-chan, Macyl-chan, and Jason! Over here!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

They ran to him with blinding speed; in 3 seconds they were already facing Naruto.

"So are you ready?" asked the girl with curled black hair, wearing black and white biker shorts, hot pink t-shirt and bandana and a black cloak with a big diamond sword sheathed at her back (think of the original May outfit with these changes).

"Yup, everything's ready Nicole!" he exclaimed.

"Drop the minor genjutsu Naruto; it wastes chakra," ordered the girl with long dark brown hair, wearing a short sleeveless dress mainly gray and the bottom rim was purple, she wore a white hat, a light blue scarf, and purple boots with twin swords made of platinum sheathed at her back (imagine Dawn from Pokemon with these changes).

"Fine, Evey, but my other friends are used to it," he said as he deactivated the genjutsu that makes his eyes seem full of happiness but in fact the exact opposite.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" said the girl with short dark brown hair which she had tied into a spiky ponytail and wearing Misty's new outfit from Pokemon while holding her staff.

"Oh, right, sorry. Guys, these are The Shadows. The girl with the black hair is Nicole, the one with the long dark brown hair is Evey, the one with the short dark brown hair is Macyl and lastly," he stopped knowing he'll eventually get interrupted by the 11 year old boy with black hair, eyeglasses and wearing biker shorts, and a deep ocean blue t-shirt with a giant platinum hammer (just imagine Max from Pokemon with these changes).

"AND I'M JASON!" the tween boy introduce himself that it was almost louder than Naruto's shout.

And the group was introducing themselves then Sakura came after they were done introducing themselves.

"Naruto! Where have you been! I didn't see you in your room," she said.

He turned around to face her and she almost gasped but held it in.

Those eyes full of pain and sorrow.

"Didn't my Shadow Clone tell you to meet me at the park in 30 minutes? I'm leaving on a training trip for two and a half years with my old friends. I wanted to spend some time with you guys but you didn't show up," Naruto said.

"Oops, I didn't really listen," Sakura admitted.

"So bye Sakura," he said.

'What happened to the -chan he puts in my name?' she thought angrily.

"Oh yeah I forgot to give you something," Nicole said and gave twin swords which can be connected together one sword made out of sapphire and one made out of ruby.

"Advance happy birthday Naruto-kun!" Macyl, Evey and Nicole chorused cheerfully.

"Yeah, advance happy b-day Naruto!" Jason exclaimed happily.

"Awesome! And they're made out of ruby and sapphire too! I'll call these Heaven and Hell!" he exclaimed happily.

"Guys always give me the best presents! This is the best one yet!" he said and group hugged the 4.

"Speaking of birthdays when is your birthday?" TenTen asked.

"Uh, tomorrow," he answered.

"Isn't tomorrow the anniversary of the Kyuubi attack?" Neji asked.

"Precisely why you guys don't see me on that day. They're probably gonna barge into my apartment again and give me a beating of a lifetime again tomorrow," Naruto answered sadly.

Jason ran up to Sakura and said rudely "So you're the one Naruto talks about. You've taken him for granted too much."

Sakura was about to punch him when Evey called him since they were about to leave already.

Naruto's friends waved goodbye until he was only seen over the horizon.

But Sakura felt a little guilty as a phrase kept echoing through her head, and those three words were:

_Taken for granted_…

**Gaia: That was sad… *sobs***

**PLG: I know. But this is still a NaruSaku fanfic, so don't worry.**

**Gaia: *sniffs the air* Do I smell something burning?**

**PLG: Man! I forgot about the fire in Building E! CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT! UH ANYWAY BYE EVERYONE!**


End file.
